A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed

HOW ODD THAT MASSACRES MOSTLY HAPPEN IN "GUN-FREE ZONES"! When will the brain-dead Left wake up and draw the obvious conclusion? Gun bans kill kids

Friday, August 31, 2007

Another flaw found in new CHP pistols: "Smith & Wesson is recalling and replacing thousands of ammunition magazines it delivered with the California Highway Patrol's new semi-automatic pistols after officers reported bullets were not properly loading into the weapons' firing chambers. It marks the second time this year that parts have been recalled related to the CHP's new Smith & Wesson 4006TSW pistols, a purchase that drew criticism for its lack of competitive bidding. The CHP, however, maintains its confidence in the guns. "If we felt our officers weren't safe, they wouldn't be carrying these guns, period," said CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader. The department bought 9,736 new 4006TSW pistols in 2006, drawing fire from legislators like Romero -- who demanded a state audit -- and from a rival gun maker, which alleged the CHP had improperly restricted bidding for the guns to a single Smith & Wesson model. Problems with the new guns surfaced soon after deliveries began. Then, in March, Springfield, Mass.-based Smith & Wesson Corp. voluntarily recalled 3,000 of the CHP pistols to replace a defective metal catch. That catch, known as a sear, had failed during training shoots, rendering some weapons useless. The new pistols had an additional minor problem with a second part -- a slide stop release lever spring -- which Clader said the officers were instructed to fix themselves. The latest problem and recall -- affecting 684 guns and a total of 3,984 magazines -- arose Aug. 7 after 15 of the CHP's Inland Division officers reported concerns, Clader said."

South Carolina burglar shot in home invasion sentenced to 15 years: "An Orangeburg man shot during the February home invasion of a World War II veteran was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea Tuesday. Christopher Aiken [above], 24, of 2088 Muriel Street, was originally charged with first-degree burglary, a charge that after plea negotiations was reduced to second-degree burglary. The charges against Aiken came after the Feb. 20 invasion of the home of Ted Jackson, an 80-year-old World War II veteran and gun enthusiast. It was about 2 a.m. on that date when the shooting occurred. Jackson said his dog began barking, alerting him that something was amiss. As Jackson turned on a light, he grabbed a pistol. Seconds later, a man carrying an AK-47 kicked open his bedroom door. At a bond hearing for Aiken earlier this year, Jackson said he's faced Japanese cannon bigger than a machine gun. He fired at the intruder, striking the man in the upper shoulder. Aiken was treated for the gunshot wound and later released. When told of Aiken's sentence, Jackson said, "Yeah, that's OK, that's good. I'm glad that part's over." However, Jackson wonders if it really is over. About two weeks ago, someone broke into his home while he was away. He wonders if that latest break-in isn't related to the February shooting. Obviously a no-nonsense individual, Jackson says that given the same circumstances, he'd do it all over again. "Somebody's coming in my house? You dadblasted right I would," Jackson said. "If my little dog hadn't woke me up, it could have been a lot different."

Tennessee: Victim and Suspect Show Up at The Med, Suspect Arrested: "Memphis Police have arrested a man who showed up for treatment at the same emergency room as the man he's accused of shooting. It happened Monday at the Regional Medical Center. Police records show Samuel Anderson was shot several times by a man who came into his house and fired when Anderson tried to run. Anderson was hit in both thighs, his right calf and his right hand. The report says the intruder ran when Anderson got to his bedroom, picked up a pistol and fired one shot. The report says the man broke out a window to escape, cutting himself. At the hospital, Anderson recognized a man awaiting treatment, noting his crooked teeth. He told a nurse and police arrested 19-year-old Richard Terrell Blackburn. After Blackburn was bandaged, police questioned him and say Blackburn admitted the shooting and told detectives where to find the gun, stashed in a lawn mower bag".

Thursday, August 30, 2007

CA: Sudden death for a foolish Hispanic: "Two suspects involved in an officer-involved shooting appeared in court Wednesday. Antonio Ribera, 23, and Gerardo Valencia both pleaded not guilty. Investigators said the shooting was prompted Sunday when officers received a 911 call reporting shots fired from a brown Honda. A Sheriff's deputy, who also heard the shots, found the vehicle and gave chase. The car stopped along Monterrey Street in east Bakersfield, and three suspects jumped out. Ribera and Valencia were arrested. Investigators said German Sarabia, 24, of Arvin was found hiding in a yard, and refused orders to drop his weapon. That is when 11 deputies and Bakersfield police officers opened fire and killed him".

NJ: Restraining order lifted, not gun ban: "A person who has had guns seized by the police because of domestic violence cannot buy guns later - even if the event was long ago and a restraining order has since been dropped, a state appeals court ruled yesterday.The three-judge Appellate Division panel said a Millburn man and his wife, who had a nasty divorce that led to domestic violence charges and restraining orders against both of them, could not have a firearms purchaser identification card. The prohibition survives even if, as in the case here, a restraining order is vacated," Judge Ariel Rodriguez wrote."

Gun Owners Without Borders: ""Gun Owners Without Borders is a proposal for a new international human rights organization.Gun Owners Without Borders recognizes a bond between individual human beings whose right to live is challenged by their governments or other forces.Gun Owners Without Borders supports an inalienable right of people to resist any attempts to exterminate them, regardless of the source or justification for the attempted extermination."

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

US is most-armed country; 90 guns per 100 people: "The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said. U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies. About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said. `There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people,' it said."

Strange FAA legal advice: ""Virgin's Richard Branson and legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan recently formed The Spaceship Company `to build a fleet of commercial sub-orbital spaceships and launch aircraft.' The government's response to establish control over the new venture has been swift. ..The resulting rules, published in The Federal Register, went almost unnoticed, particularly an obscure clause inexplicably claiming `Nearly all courts have also held that the Second Amendment is a collective right, rather than a personal right. Therefore... the FAA has the authority to prohibit firearms on launch and reentry vehicles for safety and security purposes.'"

Avurt's new self-defense weapon has five shots and a forty foot range: "Many want to be able to protect themselves in the event of an attack by an assailant, but don't want to use a gun or other lethal means to do so. Many options like pepper spray and Taser's have short ranges so you have to allow would-be attackers to get close to you for them to be effective. Avurt has a new self-defense weapon called the IM-5 that uses PAVA pepper filled projectiles that have a forty foot range; when the fired projectiles strike an assailant they burst open, similar to paint balls, causing the attacker's eyes, nose and throat to burn temporarily, effectively immobilizing them. The launcher is carried in a folded position inside a purse or holster. When unfolded a red laser sight activates to allow you to aim the device. When fired the IM-5 sounds like a pistol, which will theoretically scare the attacker and alert those near-by of trouble."

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Jackson out of step: ""Rev. Jesse Jackson's attempt Tuesday in city rallies to generate support for more restrictive gun legislation clashes with public opinion on this civil rights issue," right to self-defense advocate John M. Snyder said here today. Zogby International early this month found in a poll of 1,020 Americans that 66 percent of the American voting public sees no need for new gun control laws, Snyder noted. "Frustrated with this public opposition," said Snyder, "Jackson and the gun grabbers are trying to intimidate legislators into supporting their radical agenda with these emotionally-charged rallies. "Legislators should wise up to Jackson and company. Millions of voters already know that U.S. Representatives and Senate Judiciary Committee members failed to consider constituent sentiment when they rushed to approve a National Instant Check System (NICS) 'improvements' bill earlier this summer. Why should legislators in Congress and state legislatures continually fly in the face of public opinion regarding the individual Second Amendment civil right to keep and bear arms?" Snyder said, "One policy initiative which demonstrably would meet with overwhelming support is the elimination of public funding of colleges and universities which prohibit students and professors from carrying guns on campus when they have state issued permits to carry concealed firearms."

Stupid black teen dies after picking a cop: "A 16-year-old is dead and another teen is in custody after a shooting. St. Louis police say the two tried to rob an off-duty female officer, who fired her weapon in self-defense. happened at the intersection of Lawn and Fairview just after 11:00 Saturday night. Police say the officer was in her personal car when one of the teens reached beneath his T-shirt and pulled out a weapon. Investigators say that's when the officer drew her gun. Neighbors heard several shots. One neighbor heard her screaming for the teen to put his hands in the air. Joey Foster Jr., 16, was struck and killed. A 9 mm handgun was found beside him on the sidewalk. Another teen [Amos Taylor -- above] ran, but was later taken into custody. Neighbor Kathy Fleming says she saw them on the street, just minutes before. "I don't know how old those two guys were, but they were so young," Fleming said. "I just thought two guys walking, but that time of night with those backpacks, it was just something out of the ordinary."

Dead Robber Identified in Wichita Kansas Case: "Police have identified the armed robber who was shot and killed by a store employee Saturday morning. Officers say 27-year-old Alexander Mies entered Salyer's Pharmacy at 10:47am with a bandage over part of his face, exposing just one eye. He asked to pick up a prescription under an alias name. Mies then pulled out a handgun and pointed at the clerk. At that point, a 58-year-old employee shot Mies once in head with a shotgun. No customers were inside at the time - just three employees. A delivery worker arrived in the middle of the holdup. Mies pronounced dead at 11:15 am. Police say the shooting appears to be a simple case of self-defense. [See report here of 27th.]

Monday, August 27, 2007

California Store Guard Shoots, Kills Scum: "A teen robber was shot and killed by a grocery store security guard after an attempted robbery turned into a gunfight Saturday, Stockton police said. The 19-year-old gunman was pronounced dead just outside the Super Mercado La Amapola, 1901 S. El Dorado Street in Stockton around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Stockton police Sgt. Ken Praegitzer said. Store employee Nancy Ortega said the store was full of customers when the masked gunman came in, brandished a loaded handgun and demanded cash. At first, I was stunned. It was happening again," said Ortega, 16, who was robbed at gunpoint while working in the same store last month. Before Ortega could hand over the cash, investigators said the suspect spotted the store's security guard across the floor and fired. The guard jumped to Ortega's defense and returned fire. "He told me to get down," Ortega said. "I went down and they started shooting at each other." The guard, who asked to remain anonymous, told News10 that he had no choice but to fire on the suspect, striking him several times. "I actively wanted to stop the threat," he said. "There was nothing else I could have done. The things that happened here were basically tragic, but if somebody's coming in to the establishment shooting, I think I did what I could do. I think I did my job." Witnesses said the suspect then stumbled out to the sidewalk and collapsed, but not before firing a shot into a nearby car with a mother and two children inside. No one else was hurt."

Florida woman shoots at robbers in home invasion: "When a woman saw three men break into her bedroom window late Friday night, she took out a gun and fired several times. It didn't stop the men, though. They came in through the window of her South Fort Myers home, and after a struggle, they tied her hands then took off with money and jewelry. It all happened sometime before 11:40 p.m. Friday, and detectives were still looking for the suspects Saturday. The woman, who is in her 20s, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. She shares the home at 6770 Briarcliff Road with her boyfriend, but she was alone at the time of the break-in."

Georgia convenience store owner foils armed robbers: "The owner of a west Chatham County convenience store derailed the plans of two armed men who tried to rob him Thursday morning, using a gun of his own to send them packing. The would-be robbers, with guns drawn, entered Mike's Mini Mart at 2101 Lewis Mills Blvd. shortly after 7:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police. When the owner saw the barrels of the assailants' guns, he pulled out his own weapon and immediately opened fire as they entered. Seconds later, the two assailants turned and fled from the business. No customers were in the store, and no injuries were reported. The men fired two shots at the business before fleeing, blowing out their own rear window in the process, according to a police report. Police are asking the public's help to find a small blue or black car with the rear windshield shot out. The car was last seen traveling toward ACL Boulevard with an orange hand truck or a lawn mower protruding from its trunk. The assailants are described as two black males, one wearing a white T-shirt, dark shorts and white tennis shoes. He is 6 feet tall, weighing 160 to 170 pounds, with long dreadlocks. His accomplice stands about 5 feet, 9 inches, weighing 160 pounds. He was wearing a gray or green ball cap, a black hooded sweatshirt and yellow jogging pants with two stripes down the sides."

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Another great success for British anti-gun laws: "Two doormen were injured in a shooting at a bar and restaurant in Liverpool, two days after an 11-year-old schoolboy was shot dead in the city, police said. One of the men is critically ill in hospital, while the other is in a stable condition. They were shot late on Friday at the Alma de Santiago, a South American-themed venue in south Liverpool. Police said there was no link to the death of Rhys Jones, shot dead in the Croxteth area of the city as he walked home from football training on Wednesday. "At this early stage police are not prepared to speculate on a motive and are not connecting it to any other recent incidents," a Merseyside Police spokeswoman said. The gunman is thought to have travelled to the bar in a dark hatchback car. Police closed Penny Lane, the street immortalised in the Beatles song of the same name, to allow forensics officers to search the scene."

And a good ol' British coverup of results course: "The government was accused yesterday of covering up the full extent of the gun crime epidemic sweeping Britain, after official figures showed that gun-related killings and injuries had risen more than fourfold since 1998. The Home Office figures - which exclude crimes involving air weapons - show the number of deaths and injuries caused by gun attacks in England and Wales soared from 864 in 1998-99 to 3,821 in 2005-06. That means that more than 10 people are injured or killed in a gun attack every day. This weekend the Tories said the figures challenged claims by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, that gun crime was falling. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, tells her in a letter today that the “staggering findings” show her claims that gun crime has fallen are “inaccurate and misleading”.

Kansas clerk shoots, kills would-be robber: "A man in his 40s died today after he was shot by an employee while he was trying to rob a Wichita pharmacy, police said. The man walked into Salyer Pharmacy at 102 E. 21st St. about 10:45 a.m. Saturday. He had a handkerchief over his face and a gun in his hand, Wichita Police Lt. Sam Hanley said. He demanded money from at least two clerks, Hanley said, and "at some point, they produced their own weapon" and shot the man. The man died about 20 minutes later at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Hanley said."

Florida homeowner shoots burglary suspect: "A 65-year-old Orange County homeowner shot a man late Friday as he was breaking into his home in the 2200 block of W. Pine St. Harvey Lee Williams, 22, was shot in the right arm and taken to a hospital for treatment. The homeowner, who fired from inside his house, does not face charges, Orange County Sheriff's Cmdr. Bruce McMullen said. Williams has not been charged, but the investigation is not complete."

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Middle class horror over Australian gunshop: "Up in arms would accurately describe the incensed reaction of Roseville residents to news that a gunshop is to open in their midst. Last night hundreds were expected to pack a community hall to protest against the approval granted by Ku-ring-gai Council, apparently without notification to those who may have an opinion about such an enterprise. Andrew Peter, a gun enthusiast and coffee shop owner from Bondi Junction, made an application last month to turn an old printing shop into a sporting goods and firearms store. One of the main reasons for his decision was the estimated 1300 firearm owners who live in the area. The shop is opposite a community hall that runs a preschool centre. It is also near a bus interchange used by schoolchildren, and some neighbouring businesses say the approval, although legal, is inappropriate. Lisa Warrand is one of dozens of parents who fear the worst: the potential for an armed hold-up and shootout, or merely having to explain to children who walk past every day why a shop sells guns". [Tim Blair has some cutting comments]

Arkansas teen dead after home invasion: "A Pine Bluff teenager was shot to death Thursday night after he reportedly kicked in the back door of a house in the Dollarway area and was confronted by the homeowner who had a handgun. Chief Deputy Coroner Chad Kelley said Winston Walls Jr., 14, was pronounced dead at Jefferson Regional Medical Center at 11:57 p.m. of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The body was sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office at Little Rock for an autopsy. Police spokesman Sgt. Greg Holland said officers were called to the area of Malcomb and School streets at approximately 8:25 p.m. in response to a shooting and when they arrived, found Walls with a gunshot wound. Holland said Walls was armed with a handgun when he kicked in the door of the house, and was confronted by the home owner, Jimmy Shaw, who also had a gun. Shaw reportedly fired at Walls, striking him in the abdomen, and Holland said investigators located a weapon allegedly carried by Walls inside the house, as well as evidence that the gun had been fired in the residence. Holland said investigators also learned that two additional juveniles, a 17-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, were involved in the attempted burglary that resulted in the death."

Florida man says he shot someone who threatened him: "A Jacksonville man told police he shot someone Wednesday night after the man approached him on Ring Lane off Emerson Street and pointed a gun at him. Gregory L. Christopher, 47, of Welford Road said he pulled out a gun himself and shot Larry S. White, 56, of San Diego Road, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. White was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police aren't releasing further details as the investigation continues. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, White has an extensive criminal history, including weapons, burglary and robbery charges. Christopher has had a clean record in Florida over the last 20 years."

Friday, August 24, 2007

Those good ol' British gun bans keeping everybody safe again: "Two teenagers have been arrested after an 11-year-old boy was shot dead in the latest in a series of violent youth deaths that has forced inner-city gun crime in Britain right up the political agenda. Rhys Jones was playing football in a pub car park in Liverpool last night when he was shot by a hooded youth riding a BMX bicycle, Merseyside Police said. Police were questioning two youths, aged 18 and 14, as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned "a heinous crime that has shocked the whole of the country". Since taking over from Tony Blair on June 27, Mr Brown has signalled that law and order will remain a priority amid a string of high-profile cases of young people shot dead, often in deprived urban areas. At least six teenagers have been killed in shootings in London since February, while the northern city of Manchester has also seen a string of gun attacks involving young people"

More on those great British gun laws: "Senior police officers have been warning for several months that a growing number of teenagers in big cities are becoming involved in gun crime. The age of victims and suspects has fallen over the past three years as the availability of firearms in some cities has risen. Liverpool and Manchester are the cities where illegal guns are most readily available, with criminals claiming that some weapons are being smuggled from Ireland. Sawn-off shotguns are now being sold for as little as 50 pounds, and handguns for. Despite a ban on handguns introduced in 1997 after 16 children and their teacher were shot dead in the Dunblane massacre the previous year, their use in crimes has almost doubled to reach 4,671 in 2005-06. Official figures show that although Britain has some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the world, firearm use in crime has risen steadily. This year eight young people have been killed in gun attacks: six in London and one each in Manchester and Liverpool. "Illegal firearms have become increasingly accessible to younger offenders who appear more likely to use these firearms recklessly," a report on gun crime commissioned by the Home Office cautioned last year."

Louisiana: Nutter starts shootout: "A man with a history of mental problems started a shootout with another man in North Shreveport Wednesday morning that left the instigator critically wounded, authorities and neighbors said. Donald Richardson, 35, faces attempted murder charges upon his release from the hospital. A neighbor, Diane Howard, took out a protective order against Richardson back in January. Police Chief Henry Whitehorn said Richardson hadn't violated the protective order, but had been harrassing others."

Oklahoma jury acquits man in killing: "A Pittsburg County jury on Wednesday acquitted a man of first-degree murder in the death of a former employee. Mordecai had once worked for Krebbs' construction company and the two men had been friends. Krebbs testified on Wednesday that he shot Mordecai, but did so after he was assaulted. Witnesses also said that Mordecai had threatened Krebbs previously. On the stand, Krebbs said Mordecai had called him earlier that night wanting to fight him and had threatened to burn his house down if he didn't come home. When Krebbs returned to his residence around 1:30 or 2 a.m., he saw a strange car parked outside his driveway and another one pulling out from his home, according to his testimony. He said he put a clip in a handgun he had in his truck, and when he pulled up close to his house, he saw Mordecai waiting for him. Krebbs told the jury that Mordecai attacked him as he sat inside his truck. "He was coming in through the window," Krebbs told the jury. "I shot, not to kill him, just to get him away from me."

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Florida Homeowner Shoots At Home Invasion Suspect: "A Miami homeowner who is frustrated by two previous burglaries took matters into his hands the third time around, shooting at and chasing away a burglary suspect on Wednesday. According to Miami Police, 41-year-old Edson Morales broke into Eduard Escobar's duplex at 2197 NW 18th Street. Escobar says he bought a gun after his home was broken into the first two times, and this time he put it to use. Escobar chased Morales out of the house with a gun, running after him, while firing shots in his direction and up in the air, but Morales was not injured by gunfire. "If I wanted to shoot him, I would shoot him inside and I would kill, but I don't want to kill him because he's a human being like me," said Escobar. Wednesday afternoon the a City of Miami Fire Captain was in the area of Northwest 22nd Avenue and 18th Street when he allegedly witnessed the shooting, calling police for help. Once they arrived, police surrounded a perimeter in the neighborhood, looking for the suspect. Thanks to a police dog, officers found Morales hiding under a bush, bleeding from a cut to his left hand when he allegedly broke in through a glass window at the home. He also suffered a bite at the expense of the police K-9, which found him blocks away at an apartment complex... Police say they will not charge Escobar because he was acting in self-defense"

Georgia Homeowner Shoots Burglar: "According to police, a morning shooting in Columbus was a case of self defense. Around 9:30 Wednesday morning police say a man armed with a gun entered a home on Patch drive. Authorities say the homeowner pulled his own gun to defend himself. Sergeant Harvey Hatcher with the Columbus Police Department tells News Three this was a clear case of self defense. Hatcher says "right now the preliminary investigation shows the homeowner who lives here was confronted by a subject with a gun. The homeowner was able to retrieve his own weapon and fired shots at the suspect". Hatcher says the attacker was shot in the arm and was taken to The hospital. After the shooting the culprit ran one block away to Eddy street where he was taken into custody. The case is being handled as an attempted burglary. The homeowner was not charged."

Louisiana Woman Kills Intruder: "St. Charles Parish deputies said a 22-year-old woman shot back at two men who barged into her home early Wednesday morning, killing one and wounding the other. Jason Jammal Todd and Chris Avila approached Nathaniel Evans as he was leaving for work at about 4 a.m., officials said. At gunpoint, they forced Evans back inside and then approached his girlfriend. Avila forced her to lie on the floor, deputies said, and one of them shot Evans. The woman got a gun from her bedroom and fired at the two intruders, deputies said. Todd was pronounced dead at the scene. Avila was hit in the lower torso and was found in a nearby field. He's listed in guarded but stable condition. Evans, meanwhile, is in an intensive care unit in guarded but stable condition. Deputies said both Todd and Avila had previous arrest records.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Washington State: Burglar can't escape Toledo homeowner: "Hal Durrett of Toledo was getting ready to take a shower Friday afternoon when he glanced outside and saw a strange man hanging around his vehicles. A white van with a septic maintenance logo was parked in his driveway. Fuming from the loss of heirlooms when his Toledo rental home was burglarized last year, Durrett, 24, got his 40-caliber semiautomatic pistol and went downstairs just as the stranger pushed open the screen door. The man's story about running out of gas seemed rehearsed. Durrett ordered him to lie on the floor and kept the gun trained on him as he dialed 911. "That's when he got gutsy," Durrett said by phone Monday afternoon. The stranger hurled himself on Durrett and tried to wrestle the gun away as they rolled. With Durrett, an ironworker, weighing 255 pounds to the stranger's estimated 160, the match was no contest, but the guy managed to get outside. He jumped into his van and backed out onto State Route 505. Durrett fired three shots at the tires, flattening one of them, he said. Lewis County sheriff's deputies found the van about a quarter-mile down the road and arrested Joel Anthony Anderson, 44, of Puyallup, Wash., without incident. "There was plenty of gas," Durrett said. Anderson was booked in lieu of $50,000 bail on suspicion of first-degree burglary. He also had two warrants from outside Lewis County.... Durrett said the suspect is lucky his girlfriend, Tiffani Alexander, wasn't home. "Tiffani has her own shotguns," he said. "And she's got more temper."

Ohio: Two dead, two arrested in Dayton store shooting: "Two people were shot to death and two people were arrested in a convenience store robbery Tuesday afternoon, Dayton police said. The owner of the Covault Market and Coin Laundry, 3705 Wayne Ave., was killed inside his store along with an employee, according to Maj. Michael Brown. An Air National Guard airman apprehended a masked gunman who was fleeing from the scene, according to the man's mother. Robert Bragg, 24, who works as a military police officer at the Springfield Air National Guard base, was sitting on his porch about 1:30 p.m. when he noticed two suspicious young men walking down Coventry Road off Wayne Avenue, said Barbi Byrd, Bragg's mother. Shortly after that, Byrd said she heard popping sounds and screaming. In the next instant, she said her son saw the same two men running down Coventry. Each was wearing a ski mask and armed with a handgun. Bragg retrieved his 9mm pistol, pointed it the men and ordered them to stop and drop their weapons, Byrd said. "I was freaking out. I thought one of them would shoot him," Byrd said. One man dropped his gun and threw up his hands, as Bragg ordered, while the other took off running through a neighbor's yard. Police took the second suspect into custody a short time later, Brown said." [Let's hope they get the chair. Washington allows it]

Florida: Early-morning shooting of young gang member: "Before Reco Melvin turned up dead, police were looking for him. The 17-year-old Eureka Garden apartments resident was a suspect in a homicide at the complex on Jacksonville's Westside several weeks earlier, authorities told the Times-Union. Investigators suspect Melvin killed his neighbor Herbert Porter in a May 13 shooting while trying to rob the 36-year-old man of money he made selling sodas and other sweets to residents at the complex. Sgt. Dan Janson said Monday that police believe Melvin tried to rob a man who came to the complex to buy drugs that July morning. During the encounter, Melvin pulled a gun, but the man defended himself by drawing his own weapon and firing, Janson said. The slaying happened a few buildings away from the apartment where the teenager lived with his mother and sisters in a spot where a memorial of candles and silk flowers still stands. Porter's homicide happened in his apartment, which is within eyesight of the Melvin family's front door. Assistant State Attorney John Guy said Monday that Melvin's homicide case wasn't closed yet and that a finding of justifiable homicide was a possibility. He wouldn't comment further, and authorities wouldn't name the man they believe shot Melvin". [See also here]

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Texas: Police Investigate Fatal Shooting: "A Euless man took a weapon into another man's home and was gunned down. Here's what police say happened: The victim, Brandon Couey, had been arguing with a woman when a neighbor asked the woman if she was okay. Couey, who was armed with a knife, then walked into that neighbor's apartment. That is when Couey was shot. "We don't really know what happened -- we have an idea based on witness statements," said Lt. Wayne Paulik, Euless Police Department. "We're still going to conduct a thorough investigation. According to police, Couey then made his way across the street to a fire station. He was taken to a hospital and died. No arrests have been made."

California market owner will not be charged: "A Yuba City market owner who shot and killed an armed robber will not be charged with a crime, Sutter County District Attorney Carl Adams said today. Adams said the woman, who co-owns the Percy Avenue Market, acted in self-defense when she pulled a .38 caliber revolver from a drawer the night of Aug. 10 and shot Billy Lloyd Saling at point blank range. Adams did not name the woman in a press release but confirmed she is Suad Hamdan, wife of co-owner Chris Hamdan. She earlier declined comment. Saling had a loaded .22 caliber revolver in his hand when Hamdan fired one time, hitting him in the upper left chest. She fired a second time as he ran out the door but missed and hit a wall, said Adams. Saling collapsed and died in a parking lot five to eight seconds after being hit, the district attorney said. “It’s pretty clear she was convinced he would shoot her,” said Adams. “It’s clear she thought her life was at risk"

Texas: Resident Dies In Home Invasion Robbery; Intruder in Critical Condition: "Anthony Jerome Hemingway Sr., 43, died early Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire with a man who kicked in the door of his apartment in Killeen. The intruder, who was not identified, was in critical condition Monday after he was airlifted to Scott & White Hospital in Temple. It happened around 6:30 a.m. Monday at an apartment in the 1500 block of Windward Drive. Officers said an armed man kicked in the back door, entered the apartment and shot Hemingway, who returned fire, wounding his attacker."

Monday, August 20, 2007

CA: Robbery And Shootout At Sacramento Store: "Witnesses say it was something out of the Wild West, after a gun battle erupted in a Sacramento apartment complex. It all started next door, where three armed robbers entered Toledo's Mexican Market on Fulton Avenue. "It was a take over robbery they held them at gunpoint while they forced one of the employees to get the money," said Sgt. Tim Curran of the Sacramento Sheriff's Department. The three robbers ran out of the back of the store, and crawled through a hole in a fence leading to the apartment complex where a get away car was waiting. What they didn't know, the store owner and an employee were hot on their heels. The owner had a handgun and a shotgun. A running gun-battle with the suspects took place around the apartments. Shell casings marked the gunmen's path. They got away in a silver four door sedan, but not before leaving some of their loot behind. Store owner Jaime Toledo showed detectives how the suspects shot at him. The worker who was with him was hit by a bullet. "He was shot through the leg. He's ok, he's at the hospital already," said Toledo."

Georgia burglar pursued by quick-thinking man, nipped by dog: "A security guard on his way to work late Wednesday night helped capture a man police said had just robbed an Ellenwood truck stop. Vincent Taylor, 40, noticed a man coming out of the Fuel Center on Ga. 42 carrying a gun and large amount of money, said Clayton County police Deputy Chief Tim Robinson. Taylor was on his way to work at Turner Broadcasting, police said. "Realizing what had occurred, Taylor gave chase on foot," Robinson said. The armed robber, later identified by police as Robert C. Flynn II, 21, of Stockbridge, turned and fired at Taylor, Robinson said. Taylor returned fire from his handgun as Flynn ran into nearby woods, police said. Neither man was hit and Taylor stayed at the truck stop to wait for police, Robinson said. A K-9 unit was sent into the woods and tracked Flynn down within minutes, Robinson said. Flynn struggled with the dog and was bitten, police said. He was treated at Southern Regional Medical Center before being taken to the Clayton County Jail. Robinson said the gun Flynn used in the robbery was reported stolen in January 2006 out of DeKalb County. Police said they also recovered more than $1,200 in cash stolen from the Fuel Center."

Texas homeowner helps nab intruder: "A burglary suspect backed out of the home he entered in the early morning after being confronted by its pistol-packing owner. Arrested after the reported break-in on Monday morning was Oscar Daniel Navarro Garcia, 22, of Boling. He was being held at the Wharton County Jail on Tuesday after Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Jeanette Krenek set bail at $50,000 on a charge of burglary of habitation. The victim, a 57-year-old woman, told deputies she woke up when someone rang her rear doorbell. After grabbing her .38-caliber revolver, she answered the door and found a man wearing blue jeans but no shirt at the door. Later investigation showed someone had cut through two screens to gain entry to her closed-in utility room. "He told her that someone had hit her parked car and had driven off," Sheriff's Lt. Daniel Marek said. "When she unlocked the door, he stepped in and said, 'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.' He appeared to be intoxicated. When she threatened him with the gun, he fled." Sheriff's deputy Joe Ray Joines and Sgt. Jimmy Woods responded to the location and the victim identified Garcia as the intruder.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Arkansas shopowner shoots black teen: "The owner of a Pine Bluff pawn shop told police he had shot someone trying to break into his business Thursday night and officers found a 15-year-old male dead at the scene. Chief Deputy Coroner Chad Kelley pronounced Taron Hopkins, 15, dead at the scene of an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body at 12:15 a.m. Friday ... Smith reported that he was in a small living area at the back of the business lying down when he heard a noise at the back of the building and yanked open the back door. “He said he saw several individuals standing immediately in front of him,” Rawlinson quoted Smith as saying. “Mr. Smith said one of them had something in his hand, possible a tire iron.” Rawlinson said Smith reported firing several shots in the direction of that person with a .38-caliber revolver. “All the subjects fled out the back and into the fenced in area,” Rawlinson said. “At the location where the subjects were reportedly standing, along with other evidence, a tire iron was recovered.” Rawlinson said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident and the investigation is continuing. Smith was released after being interviewed by detectives"

Florida: 76-year-old man wrestles gun away from robber: "A 76-year-old Pensacola man wrestled a gun from a 64-year-old man trying to rob him Friday, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to reports of an armed robbery at Tall Oaks Campground about 11 a.m. and found Jay Robbins, 64, of Pensacola being held at gunpoint by Paul Ehler, 76. According to investigators, Ehler said he was sitting in his office chair when Roberts walked in and said he was going to rob Ehler. Ehler told investigators Roberts wanted him to sit in a chair to be bound. But when the suspect fumbled with the rope, Ehler came around the desk and attacked him, the report said. After a brief struggle, Ehler got the gun away from the suspect and held him until deputies arrived. Robbins was arrested for one count of armed robbery and taken to Escambia County Jail where he is being held on $50,000 bond.

New York: Intruder Fatally Shot During L.I. Home Invasion: A homeowner fatally shot one intruder and another escaped after a home invasion on Long Island on Thursday night. Police said two men broke into a home in Bay Shore around 10 p.m. and demanded cash and drugs from the homeowner. A struggle broke out and the homeowner shot one of the men and the other suspect fled the scene on foot, according to police. The intruder died at the scene. Police are searching for the second suspect of the home invasion, but they do not have a description. Police are also checking into the background of the homeowner.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

California robber shot by guard: "A robber shot by a guard during a heist attempt at a San Pablo grocery store on August 10 remains on the lam, police said Thursday. Detectives suspect that he and his compatriots may have robbed other Food Maxx stores in the East Bay this summer. They do not know whether he died, sought medical help outside the region or simply spent his week hiding and suffering. "It was a point-blank shot. It struck him in the shoulder," San Pablo Police Detective David Hoff said. "I'm sure it was extremely painful." The unidentified man and another suspect, 41-year-old Oakland resident James Jones, walked into the San Pablo Avenue Food Maxx about 8 p.m. last Friday wearing sunglasses and caps, police said. Surveillance camera footage shows they spent 12 to 15 minutes "shopping" before the unidentified suspect grabbed a bag of snack food and headed for a register, with Jones close behind him. They apparently did not know that loss-prevention workers had spotted them the moment they walked through the door, Hoff said. Moments after the man leaned over the counter and grabbed a wad of cash from the register's till, the store called police, and its private security guards closed in. A guard with his gun drawn met the two men as they exited into the parking lot and grabbed the man with the cash by the shoulder, Hoff said. In response, the robber reached into his waistband. The guard saw he was about to pull out a handgun, and fired twice. One of the rounds definitely hit the robber, who threw down his weapon and cash and jumped into a waiting, dark-colored Honda or Toyota"

Massachusetts grand jury declines to indict doctor in husband's death: "Prosecutors are dropping the case against a Cape Cod doctor charged with fatally shooting her husband after a grand jury declined to indict her because of evidence he abused her. The Barnstable County grand jury considered testimony from 27 witnesses who said Ann Gryboski, 51, was a victim of physical and psychological abuse by Patrick Lancaster, 50, her husband of more than 20 years, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe office said in a statement Friday. "This is a finding by the Grand Jury consistent with the evidence in this particular case," O'Keefe said. Gryboski has been free on bail after pleading not guilty in April to a murder charge. She had appeared in court with swollen eyes and bruises around her mouth, and the district attorney said then there were "mitigating factors" in her case. Reddington had said in court that the case was "pure and simple self-defense." "The bruises speak volumes about what happened," Reddington has said. "She did what she had to do to protect herself and her children." Gryboski told police she shot her husband, a builder and charter boat owner, in their home on Easter Sunday after she attempted to intervene in an argument between him and one of their adult sons who confronted his father about his mother's black eye and swollen face. She told police that the night before the killing, her husband had repeatedly punched her as she drove with their 2-year-old grandson in the back seat. When her husband came toward her on that Sunday, she fired two shots, hitting him in the torso"

Georgia tattoo parlor owner shoots robber: "The shotgun hangs on the wall of the Tattoo Doctor for a reason, its employees say. It's meant to convey a message to anyone walking in: Don't mess with us. Until now, the insinuation worked fine. But when a would-be robber tried to hold up the southwest Atlanta tattoo and piercing parlor Thursday night, he learned the hard way what happens when you disobey. The store owner shot the man at least three times, sending him scurrying out of the shop and into a nearby apartment complex - where he was promptly arrested. About seven people, including patrons and employees, were at the shop on Campbellton Road when two men came in about 8 p.m. asking to get tattooed. As one of them was called in for his appointment, the second man pulled out a gun, ordered everyone to get down on the ground and demanded money, Patrick said. "He pointed to the [shotgun] and said nobody touch it," Patrick said. "We put it up there to curtail exactly this type of behavior." As the patrons hit the ground, the store owner - whose business license lists him as Ikeno Patrick, but who goes by "Nomadic" - pulled out a different gun and fired. As the shots flew, the second man cowered in a corner, saying, "Please don't kill me. I didn't have nothing to do with it," Patrick recalled. Atlanta police Officer Eric Schwartz said the would-be robber, whose name was not released, was arrested and taken to a hospital in stable condition."

Friday, August 17, 2007

CA: Cop-shoot trial turns on moves by victim: "A trial involving a damages suit against San Francisco police for the fatal shooting of a disabled man opened in federal court Monday and quickly focused on whether the man was reaching for a gun when he was killed. Dale Galipo, lawyer for Cammerin Boyd's mother and two daughters, told the jury the evidence would show that Boyd was trying to surrender when he was shot to death in May 2004 outside his rented SUV. He said Boyd posed no danger to officers who had surrounded him after a car chase. But Deputy City Attorney James Loebs said the evidence of Boyd's wounds and bloodstains would support police testimony that he was reaching into the SUV for a gun, which was found inside the vehicle. Loebs said Boyd had shot at the officers twice. "These officers were risking their lives and should be honored for what they were doing, not persecuted," Loebs told the jury. Boyd, 29, of Oakland, was a former high school football star who lost both legs below the knee in a 1993 car crash while he was fleeing police. He later served time in prison and was facing an armed robbery charge at the time of his death, the city's lawyers said."

South Carolina Suspect Shot After Breaking into Home: "Deputies were called to respond to a report of a gunshot victim at the residence of 16 Compass Point Rd. Upon arrival, deputies discovered Cantwell lying at the bottom of the steps of the residence, disoriented and bleeding profusely from his left leg. Deputies met with the complainant, 51-year old Raymond Gaudreau, who resides at 16 Compass Point Rd. Gaudreau recounted to deputies that he was asleep on the couch in the living room of his home when he was awakened by the sound of someone trying to come in the front door. Gaudreau advised seeing the door come partially open, but an engaged chain lock prevented it from being opened completely. Gaudreau fled through the house to the back deck outside where he called 911. During this time, the subject did make forced entry through the front door, charging through the home where he confronted Gaudreau on the back deck. Gaudreau, who was armed with a 9mm handgun, repeatedly advised the subject that he was armed with a gun and to stay back. The subject disregarded Gaudreau's warnings, becoming violent as he picked up the metal patio table separating the two men and threw it at Gaudreau. As the subject lunged towards Gaudreau, Gaudreau fired his gun, shooting the subject in the lower left leg.

Delaware intruder shot: "New Castle County police are investigating the shooting of a man Wednesday afternoon during a break-in. Shortly before 3 p.m., police were called to the first block of Christiana Crossing Drive in Newark, where a 31-year-old male resident of Christiana Farms town houses said he had shot someone trying to break into his home, said spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro. A female witness drove the intruder, a 39-year-old, to Christiana Hospital with a gunshot wound to the upper torso, Navarro said. He was reportedly in stable condition".

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Senate panel sends Brady expansion bill to the floor

It's truly amazing. You wouldn't think that something as controversial as gun control could fly through the House of Representatives, and then through a Senate committee without facing at least one recorded vote. But on Thursday of last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Senate version of the McCarthy bill by an unrecorded voice vote.

The draft bill - which is still unnumbered - is being sponsored by the chairman of the committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The Brady expansion provisions in this bill are identical to the ones in the McCarthy bill and would easily deny thousands (if not millions) of law-abiding citizens their right to own firearms. As mentioned in earlier alerts, the NRA and the Brady Campaign are both in favor of this legislation. In fact, the author of the House bill, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), has stated there is no way this bill could pass without the NRA's support: "The National Rife Association still wields tremendous influence in the halls of Congress," McCarthy said, "and their blessing is required for any bill that enforces or creates gun laws."

The reason why some gun owners support the Leahy-McCarthy measure is they think the bill will make it easier for many Americans to regain their rights - such as military veterans who have been illegitimately denied a firearm. What they don't realize is that this is a pie-in-the-sky promise. Veterans will have to find a pro-gun shrink that will certify that said veteran is not a danger to himself or others. (Question: Would you ever certify that someone you don't know could NEVER be a danger to himself or others?) They will then have to hire a good attorney, take the government to court and hope they can force the FBI to delete their names from the NICS system.

It must be stressed that thousands of veterans have already been illegally banned from owning guns without being convicted of anything. Not only that, thousands more will have their names placed on the Brady list of banned buyers if this legislation passes. It is beside the point that they might be able to get their rights restored. They never should have lost them in the first place. Further, they will be forced to spend a lot of money to regain their gun rights - rights which were unconstitutionally stripped by the Leahy-McCarthy bill.

We've already seen that at the state level, getting your guns back - after being decreed a supposed danger to society - is easier said than done. Consider what is ALREADY happening in California. University of San Francisco professor W. Michael Becker - a licensed psychologist and attorney - points out how in the Golden State, a gun owner can easily lose his guns if he's deemed to be a danger to himself and others. And while state law allows the gun owner to get his guns back (after he's no longer considered a danger), the retrieval process is by NO MEANS automatic.

Texas fruitcake: "Police said they may never know why a man who wrecked his car along a downtown freeway opened fire on the people who stopped to render aid, killing two before fatally shooting himself. A Dallas police officer responding to the incident and another passer-by who stopped to help were seriously wounded in the Sunday morning shooting, authorities said. Police said no one heard any words from the suspected gunman, 20-year-old Nick A. Salinas, of Cedar Hill. "We may never know," said Dallas police Sgt. Gary Kirkpatrick. "But it's something we hope to find out." Police identified the shooting victims as Robert Daniel Langston, 22, of Duncanville, and Jesus Reyes Terrazas, Jr., 24, of Dallas... Witnesses told investigators they stopped to help a motorist on the side of Interstate 35 when someone inside the car shot at them. One witness left in his car after the shooter pointed a gun at him, police said. Terrazas was part of a group of four who saw the accident scene and turned around to help. Someone in the group returned fire, Hale said. Police said they don't believe the return fire hit Salinas. The man was licensed to carry a concealed weapon."

Arizona man breaks into home, finds self held at gunpoint: "A man broke into a Mesa home and found himself held at gun point. Edward Linton walked into the home through the garage door where the resident confronted him. The resident then threw him outside and held him at gunpoint while he waited for police to come. Right now Linton is in police custody. No word yet on if he'll face any charges."

Pennsylvania: DA clears clerk who killed Beechview robber: "A gas station clerk acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a robber and will not be charged, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said today. Walter Wetzel Jr., 58, of Mt. Washington, killed Raymond Crawford, 30, of Northview Heights, July 14, at the BP station on Saw Mill Run Boulevard in Beechview, police said. Zappala said Crawford had already pulled a gun at two other businesses that night before he confronted Wetzel. "He went right to the clerk and pointed a weapon at him," Zappala said. Crawford demanded money, cigarettes and blunts, and when Wetzel bent down behind the counter to get some of the items, he came up with a gun and shot Crawford twice in the chest, Zappala said. "The clerk was scared because the robber wanted more and more items and (the clerk) did not have access to the safe," Zappala said. Zappala said the shooting was justified but generally speaking, he said he would prefer store clerks give robbers what they want, let them get out and call police. "I would have preferred no one would have died," Zappala said."

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Students push for guns on campus

College students are pushing for their schools to allow them to carry guns on campus, saying they should have the right to protect themselves in a situation like the one in which 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty were fatally shot. Andrew Dysart, a George Mason University senior, organized a chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which hopes to persuade legislators to overturn a Virginia law that allows universities to prohibit students, faculty and staff members with gun permits from carrying their weapons onto campus. "There's no way to know what could have happened, but the students at Tech, they really should have had a chance," Mr. Dysart said of the April 16 shootings in which gunman Seung-hui Cho killed 32 persons, then fatally shot himself. "They should have had the chance to defend themselves if it came down to that."

Virginia law lets schools decide whether to allow students with concealed-weapons permits to carry their guns on campus. One state school, Blue Ridge Community College, gave permission. Schools cannot prohibit nonstudents or other outsiders from carrying weapons onto campuses if they have legal permits. "In a sense, [students] don't have the same rights to self-defense on campus as the general public," said Mr. Dysart, who said his four years as a Marine shaped his ideas about self-defense. "It's really lopsided the way it works."

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, said individual colleges and universities should be able to decide whether to allow students to carry guns onto school grounds. Mr. Kaine also said he would wait to see whether a panel studying the Virginia Tech shootings makes recommendations on the issue. Nationwide, 38 states ban weapons at schools, and 16 of those specifically ban guns on college campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other states allow schools to adopt their own gun policies.

Utah is the only state that specifically allows people to carry concealed weapons at public colleges. Legislation passed in 2004 allows concealed weapons on all state property, including colleges and universities. The University of Utah, which had banned concealed weapons for decades, challenged the law, but the state Supreme Court upheld it last year.

Florida robber killed in shootout: "Two people are being questioned by police after a robbery escalated into a deadly shooting spree on the Westside. It happened at Avatar Graphics on Blanding Boulevard at around 6:30 a.m. Monday morning. Police say at least one person tried to rob the shop at gunpoint. That's when the owner, Bryan Martin, pulled out his own gun and bullets started flying. Martin was found shot and in critical condition at the shop. The would-be robber was found a block down the road in a car with two other men. He later died from his injuries."

Nevada: 2 Shot In Home Invasion: "Police are investigating a home invasion shooting at a home on Coral Ribbon, near Lindell and Robindale. Metro police tell Action News, a woman came home around 5 AM this morning and was accosted by three African American men. Her husband came to her aid, and shots were exchanged between the husband and the suspects. One suspect was hit and died at the scene. The woman was also shot and taken to the hospital. There is no word yet on her condition. Police say the other two suspects are now at large.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

New Mexico man, 85, Captures Burglar: "An 85-year-old man whose home was burglarized three times within a week decided to take matters into his own hands. Alton Tillman left his home at his regular time Tuesday, but doubled back and quietly went inside, finding emptied drawers, items in disarray -- and someone's feet sticking out from under a bed, police said. Tillman ordered him out, then called 911. When officers arrived, they found Tillman pointing a handgun at a 16-year-old boy standing against a wall, they said. Officers said they found several items belonging to Tillman in the boy's pockets and other items of the man's at the youth's home a block away. The teenager was charged with felony burglary and larceny."

Alabama man shot dead after kicking in door: "A 20-year-old man was shot and killed early Sunday after he kicked down the front door of another man's home in Creola, authorities said. In Creola, the two men had been arguing over the phone before Justin Cox went to the home just off U.S. 43 and kicked the door off its hinges, said Cpl. Gary Davis of the Creola Police Department. Ronnie Freeman, who was at home with his wife and baby, shot Cox with a rifle, Davis said. So far, Freeman does not face any criminal charges, Davis said. Investigators believe Cox intended to hurt Freeman, Davis said. The case remains under investigation and will be presented to a Mobile County grand jury, Davis said. Cox had attended Satsuma High School but did not graduate, his mother said. He was working as a landscaper in Pensacola, she said."

Ohio nightclub owner scares off robbers: "The owner of an area nightclub was beaten and robbed early Monday morning on Columbus' north side. Witnesses said the victim, owner of the International Ballroom and Nightclub, was targeted outside of his Sinclair Road home at about 2:30 a.m., NBC 4's David Wayne reported. According to police, the incident was originally called in as a home invasion, but it turned out that someone was waiting outside the home of the victim. Police said that when the victim arrived home two people were waiting. As he got out of his car, he was allegedly assaulted as the suspects demanded money. "Two individuals were waiting in the shadows for him, as he exited his vehicle he was jumped and assaulted" Detective Art Hughes, of the Columbus Division of Police said. "A struggle ensued and the business owner was able to produce a weapon. There was a shot fired and, at this time, it appears nobody was hit." Police have not arrested any suspects involved in the case."

Monday, August 13, 2007

Florida: Black robber lands in hospital: "An armed robbery suspect is in the hospital after a convenience store clerk shot him in self-defense earlier today, police said. Bruce Flanders, 54, fired at the suspect after the alleged robber and another male walked into the Super Stop Food Store at 6460 Pines Blvd. at around 12:30 p.m., with a shotgun and demanded cash, said Sgt. John Jacob. The 21-year-old armed suspect had racked the shotgun before the men demanded money and pointed the weapon at Flanders after the store clerk showed his gun, Jacob said. The two men fled the scene by running into an alley across the street from the convenience store, Jacob said. Shortly after arriving on scene, police found the injured suspect, who had a wound to his abdomen area, police said. The man was sent to Memorial Regional Hospital and underwent surgery Sunday afternoon, Jacob said. K-9 units found the second suspect, a 29-year-old male, hiding in a nearby dumpster"

North Carolina: 3 killed in shooting rampage: "Just after 10:30 p.m., a man walked up to the camper home of Frank James Clark and shot him dead with a rifle. He then walked the 150 feet across a driveway and yard to the trailer home of William and Shirley Clark, Frank's brother and mother, where William Clark was working on an ATV in the sultry heat. The man asked him where Clark's mother was. Clark knocked the man's rifle toward the ground and ran inside the trailer before the man started firing through the front door. Clark grabbed his mother and pulled her to the floor, where the two laid as bullets passed through the home and Clark called 911. Next, the man left the trailer, walked about 15 yards through the woods behind the Clarks' and knocked on the trailer home of William Clark's other two brothers, Edward and Wayne. He was told to come inside. When the man walked in he started shooting the rifle. He shot Edward at least twice, killing him, shot a woman and man who were visiting, and then started shooting at Wayne, who ran to a back bedroom. Wayne grabbed a rifle from the bedroom and waited until he heard the man's gun click. He assumed it was empty, so he stepped into the hall and saw the man there with the rifle in one hand and a handgun in the other. Wayne shot the man through the heart."

CA: Update on Yuba City shooting (See yesterday): "A deadly shooting is being called self-defense, after a convenience store clerk in Yuba City took matters into her own hands during a robbery. "We heard a couple gunshots and saw a bunch of people running," said Matt Lewis, who witnessed the incident. In normally quiet Yuba City, hearing gunshots will send people running, and it did on Friday night at the Percy Avenue Market. About 8:15 p.m., a white man in his thirties wearing a dark jacket walked into the empty store. He demanded money at gunpoint. The female clerk, also one of the market's owners, gave him all she had, which was less than one hundred dollars. "He demanded more cash, and as he demanded more that's when the clerk pulled out a gun and shot the suspect," said Sergeant Kim Slade of the Yuba Police Department. Shot in the chest, the man stumbled into the parking lot and died. Police found his gun and the money he had stolen in his coat. Back at work on Saturday, but much too shaken to speak on camera, the woman and her husband say this is the worst experience in their 24 years of operation. It's not the first time the store has been robbed. Back in 1992, a man came in, demanded money and got into a scuffle with the owner. He ended up getting shot in the stomach and the suspect got away. The couple says they've learned a lot about self-defense since then.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

California cops shoot stupid crook: "The Hanford police swat team acted in self defense when officers shot and killed a murder suspect in Kings County. That's the ruling from the Kings County district attorney's office. The DA's office has closed its investigation in the death of Abel Gonzales. He was killed by swat officers back in June. Gonzales reportedly pointed a gun at officers who tried to take him into custody. He was a suspect in the murder of a woman whose body was found a day earlier inside a truck at 13th and Iona Street. A trail of blood led investigators into several orchards nearby where they eventually found Gonzales."

Virginia gangster quarrel: six shots fired "in self-defense": "William McCray Jones fired six bullets at a friend who picked a fight with him. "As I'm shooting, this guy is not jerking, not falling. He's still coming," Jones testified Thursday. Five bullets hit that friend, Roosevelt Jones III, 29, who goes by the street name "Five" and is not related to William Jones. He lived. One of those bullets hit another friend, 25-year-old Winston Carr, and killed him. It was self-defense, William Jones told jurors. Had he not fired, it could have been him to end up dead. "Look, I'm trying my best," said Jones, 25, his voice raising and tears starting to fall. "These are friends of mine. I've got to live with this for the rest of my life, man." Danyell Knight, who was at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk the same time William Jones was, testified that Jones admitting shooting Roosevelt Jones, saying he would "tolerate no disrespect." William Jones said it all started when the two men accidentally bumped into each other and a drink spilled on Roosevelt Jones. Roosevelt Jones wouldn't let it go and got up in William Jones' face, William Jones testified. Roosevelt Jones followed William Jones outside, where William Jones' girlfriend's car was parked. William Jones grabbed a gun from the car and was going to put it in the trunk, but Roosevelt Jones tried to grab it, William Jones said.

California robber shot down: "A man died Friday night after allegedly robbing a Yuba City grocery store and trying to flee. Police responded to the Percy Avenue Market at around 8:30 p.m. after they received reports of a man who had been shot. Deputy Police Chief Rob Landon said the suspect robbed the market, but never left the premises. “He made it to the other side of the parking lot and expired,” Landon said. Landon did not release the identity of the shooter, but friends of the store clerk said weapons are kept in the store. The deputy police chief would not say whether a store clerk shot the alleged robber nor confirm that the deceased died of gunshot wounds. “It’s been robbed before,” said Matthew Lewis, 26, a neighbor of the market... Landon did say, however, the alleged robber had a handgun and money from the store on him."

Arkansas Wal-Mart shooting justified: "Fifth Judicial Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons has declined to prosecute a man who shot an acquaintance in the leg July 18 in the Wal-Mart parking lot on East Main Street. William Garfield Farr, 50, was arrested later that night in connection with the shooting after he fled the scene without notifying authorities of the incident, a circumstance Gibbons called “troubling” in a memo sent Wednesday to Russellville Police Department Det. Mark Frost, which was provided to The Courier. A witness recorded Farr’s license plate number as he drove away, according to a July 20 article by Scott Perkins and Janie Ginocchio. In a July 20 bond hearing held at the Pope County Detention Center, District Judge Don Bourne ordered Farr held on a $25,000 commercial bond. At that time, the alleged victim, Ben Lopez, was in stable condition at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, according to testimony by Frost. Gibbons cited Arkansas Criminal Act 5-2-607 in the memo, which provides that “a person is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if he reasonably believes that the other person is: (1) Committing or about to commit a felony involving force or violence; (2) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force; [or] (3) Imminently endangering his or her life.” In the memo, Gibbons wrote despite Farr’s failure to call police and fleeing, “from the evidence, it is clear that Lopez was the initial aggressor and entered Farr’s vehicle while possessing a knife. Farr retreated to the passenger side of his vehicle, a point beyond which he could go no further with complete safety.” “Although disputed by Lopez,” Gibbons continued, “the credible evidence is that Lopez struck at Farr with the knife injuring Farr’s lip. At that point, Farr shot Lopez in the leg with a handgun which he was authorized to carry under Arkansas Law.”

Saturday, August 11, 2007

More on a very dubious killing: "The case, experts said, hinges on whether a Northwest Side homeowner thought deadly force was his only option to protect himself or recover property when he chased the unarmed college student to the street and shot him to death. Raymond Lemes, 48, found Glass inside his house early Saturday morning. Believing Glass was an intruder, Lemes grabbed his .40-caliber handgun and chased the young man outside, where he shot him in the neck, arm and chest, according to a police report. The report does not indicate whether Glass, 19, took anything from the home. Lemes later told police he meant to detain Glass until authorities arrived, but he fired when Glass "lunged at him," the report says.... Glass, a sophomore at Angelo State University who grew up on his family's farm, had been staying at his sister's house on Autumn Evening the night he died. That house is painted white with blue trim and is on the right side of the cul-de-sac. Lemes' house is also white with blue trim and is on the right side of another cul-de-sac. One home is directly behind the other. [There is a view that the student simply mistook the Lemes home for the one where he was staying. We only have the word of Lemes that the student "lunged" at him. And why were 3 shots needed for anything? A commenter on my earlier report of the matter on this blog suggests that Lemes is simply a murderer]

Connecticut man shoots burglar, has heart attack: "A Hartford man fatally shot an intruder who was attempting to burglarize his apartment Thursday night, police said. Then, as officers were questioning him, the man suffered a heart attack. Hartford police spokeswoman Nancy Mulroy said officers responded at about 8:40 p.m. to a report of a shooting at 136 Seymour St. in the city's South Green neighborhood. When they arrived, the officers found the gunshot victim on the exterior deck of apartment 303, she said. Police identified the dead man as Ralph Colon, 56, of 201 Saybrook St., Hartford. He was shot in the abdomen and died this morning at Hartford Hospital, Mulroy said. She said Colon had been attempting to burglarize the apartment. Officers investigating the shooting forced their way into the apartment and discovered the resident, a 64-year-old man who appeared to be overwhelmed, Mulroy said. Mulroy said the man, who she declined to identify, dropped a hand gun and cooperated with police. He was taken into custody. While he was being interviewed by police, Mulroy said, the man suffered a heart attack and was taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. His condition was unavailable. Mulroy said no charges have been filed in the incident."

Michigan: Would-be robber's slaying 'justifiable': "The fatal shooting of a man while trying to rob a Muskegon Heights woman in her driveway has been ruled "justifiable," Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague said Thursday. That means no homicide charge will be filed in the July 25 shooting of Edtwon Magett, 32, of Milwaukee. But the shooter faces trial on several other felony counts. Kenyada Yvonne Young, 27, waived her right to a preliminary examination Thursday on five charges: being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, making a false report of a felony, delivery of a controlled substance and a felony firearm count. Sixtieth District Judge Michael J. Nolan ordered Young bound over for trial in 14th Circuit Court. Also waiving his preliminary hearing Thursday was Magett's alleged accomplice in the botched robbery attempt. Malcolm Lamont Price, 19, of 3013 Woodcliffe, faces trial on charges of assault with intent to rob while armed and felony firearm possession. Magett was shot in the head by his intended victim about 1:30 a.m. in the driveway at 2030 Riordan in what authorities have called a drug-related robbery attempt. He died July 26 at a Muskegon hospital. Authorities said Young had just pulled into her driveway when Magett confronted her. She started to open the car door, and he pulled it open the rest of the way, put a gun to her head and demanded money. Police and prosecutors said the woman appeared to be cooperating but instead pulled a small-caliber handgun out of her pocket and shot Magett. Police said Magett had been in prison most of his adult life, and his record showed convictions for armed robbery and narcotics violations in Wisconsin and Michigan."

Friday, August 10, 2007

PA: Self defense claim over 2am invasion accepted: "It took little more than 30 minutes for a jury to decide that the fatal shooting of a Central City man was justifiable homicide... Matthew testified that three men - Zimmerman, Mostoller and Keith Custer of Shanksville - tried to forcefully enter the apartment after he told them to leave. He and his brother were getting settled in for the night when they heard squealing tires and a revved engine outside their apartment building. Each brother testified that he was the one to open the door and yell down at the three men to “knock it off,” calling them “hillbillies” and using profanity. When the three men got out of their trucks and started up the stairs to the deck outside the apartment, Michael called the state police. Matthew testified that he showed the men his 12-gauge shotgun as he loaded it through an open doorway, hoping it would deter them, before shutting the door. But the men kept coming, he said. As the men approached the front door, they were warned that police had been called and were on their way, the brothers testified. They also were told they had a gun. A moment or two later, he heard a “thud” against the door. A second thud caused the door to fly open, Michael testified. His brother was several feet away with the shotgun. When the door opened, Matthew fired the shotgun and hit Mostoller. Within a second, he saw someone charging from the left side of the door and he shot again, he said. It was Zimmerman."

Florida man shoots would-be robber: "I thought he was trying to get a weapon. I fired at him", said resident Justin Marcoux. Justin Marcoux says he didn't hesitate. The 21-year-old walked outside his home in Lehigh Acres Wednesday morning after he heard a noise. He thought it was his ride to work. "I came outside, a guy was running across the lawn with my dad's generator, he dropped it," says Marcoux. At that moment, he thought the robber might hurt him. "I had mine in my pocket - I fired in his direction and I guess I hit him." He did, in the arm. 43-year-old Victor Howren went to the hospital and now faces burglary and grand theft charges. "I was shakin'," says Marcoux. Under the Stand Your Ground Law, it's Marcoux's right to protect himself. "The defend yourself law is there so people can defend themselves in situations where there is no where to go," says Lee Sheriff's Firearms Instructor Matt Chitwood. In Marcoux's case he does have a concealed weapons permit and he wasn't hurt. Marcoux says if it happened again, he would act in the same way. "We have the right to protect our own property.""

Texas convenience store clerk opens fire on would-be robber: "A convenience store clerk opened fire on a possible would be robber trying to make his way into the store. It happened off the East Freeway and Hurley in the northeast side of town overnight. Authorities say the suspect walked up to the window and attempted to smash it with a brick wrapped in a T-shirt. It cracked, the window didn't break. The clerk who was inside of the bullet-proof glass came out and fired a shot at the suspect. The suspect managed to get away. Police don't think the suspect was hit. The store clerk's brother works at the motel next door. He heard all of the commotion and called police."

Thursday, August 09, 2007

NJ: Execution-style schoolyard shootings shock city: "In a city where gun violence has become an all too common part of daily life, these shootings were enough to chill even the most hardened residents: Four young friends shot execution-style in a schoolyard just days before they were to head to college. Three were killed after being forced to kneel against a wall and then shot in the head at close range Saturday night, police said. A girl was found slumped near some bleachers 30 feet away, a gunshot wound to the head but still alive. The four Newark residents were to attend Delaware State University this fall. No arrests had been made by Monday and authorities had not identified suspects." [NOTE: Of course, the victims were unarmed, as they were apparently law abiding youngsters and 'guns have no place in school']

Texas homeowner holds suspect at gunpoint: "A man who found a burglar in his home Tuesday morning held the intruder at gunpoint until sheriff’s deputies arrived. Just after 3 a.m., a woman reportedly heard noises in her house in the 1500 block of Cemetery Road, north of the city limits. She woke her husband, who walked toward the light someone had turned on in the house. However, the homeowner did not venture out of the bedroom empty-handed. “He grabbed his shotgun,” said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo, sheriff’s office spokesman. When the man found an intruder in his house, he pointed the weapon and waited. Sheriff’s deputies received the 911 call of the break-in at 3:16 a.m. and arrived three minutes later. Tuttoilmondo also said anyone facing a home break-in should exercise “the utmost caution” before engaging an intruder. “People have an absolute right to defend their property and their loved ones, but we encourage people to call 911 the instant they discover their homes are being broken into and remain in a safe place,” he said. Santa Fe resident Karel Christopher Phillips, 17, was in jail Tuesday, under $15,000 bond. He faces a charge of burglary of a habitation, which carries a possible prison term of two to 20 years, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.

Utah: Quick-draw store owner runs off bandit: "Allen Van Arsdale calls himself a peaceful man who doesn't seek out trouble. But he doesn't apologize for his killer instinct. Van Arsdale was tending his antique shop near downtown Ogden about 12:40 p.m. Monday when an intruder stormed in. "Check this out, fool!" the man yelled, with a gun aimed at Van Arsdale's head 15 feet away. In retrospect, Van Arsdale acknowledged Tuesday, he probably should have given the man the cash he most likely wanted. But in one swift motion, the 46-year-old rock collector dropped to a knee, pulled out the .45 Colt revolver he keeps handy and fired a shot. "I missed him by 14 inches," said Van Arsdale, owner of Al's Antiques Etc. The bullet struck a photocopy machine. The would-be bandit, who wore a black ski mask halfway down his face, took off before Van Arsdale, a former Air Force airman, could squeeze the trigger again, he said. Detectives recovered the bullet. Van Arsdale speculates the man, who is still at large, wanted money for drugs.... The armed robbery was the city's first since a police officer shot and killed 41-year-old Armond Sanchez in February as he fled from a robbery, Lt. Tony Fox said. In that case, Sanchez robbed Jack's Shoe Repair store a block from Van Arsdale's antique shop and took off on foot. Police said Sanchez, who was suspected in more than a dozen robberies, raised a gun at an officer."

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

New York Store Robbery and Standoff: "A store clerk fights back after an armed robbery in Albany. Tonight, a suspect is in custody following a standoff with police. The robbery happened at Quail Street News around 5:20 A.M. Store clerk Hafiz Alam was behind the counter when a man walked in the door and demanded money. Alam opened the register and handed over the money, but while putting the cash away, the robber made a mistake. The man set his shotgun on the counter and while he wasn't paying attention Alam grabbed the gun. The robber ran out the door while Alam called for help. Moments later, the robber came back in, struggled with Alam, and one shot is fired. Luckily, no one is injured and the robber made off with the gun and the money. Outside, a city worker spotted the man's license plate number and that's how police tracked the suspect to his home at 71 Westerlo Street. Police shut down streets and evacuated homes while attempting to get the man out of the house. When they got no answer Albany Police fired tear gas into the home. The suspect came out of the building and was taken into custody. He is behind bars tonight, police say he will face charges in the robbery. Alam, the clerk in the robbery, says he will return to work for his next shift.

Time to admit the "gun nuts" are right: In the aftermath of the Petit family slayings in Cheshire [Connecticut], we all reached for explanations: How do human beings sink this low? How could this tragedy have been prevented? Why? There are so many nagging questions. They all need to be asked. And maybe some old arguments need to be hashed out again. That is why one old question is worth asking again. It is this: What if the Second Amendment is for real? Is it possible that it should it be revered, just like the First Amendment? Sam Ervin said, "The Constitution should be taken like mountain whiskey -- undiluted and untaxed." Maybe that applies to all of the Constitution. Is it possible that the Second Amendment is not a quaint and antiquated remnant of a world that will never return, but an idea as relevant and sound today as when it was written? Is it possible that we are not talking about the right of the government to form a militia when there is no standing army, but the right of the individual to defend himself, or herself, against both tyranny and lawlessness? Maybe we are talking about the right of self-defense -- the right of the individual to take up arms against a government that wants to oppress, be it foreign or domestic. And the right of the individual to defend himself against criminals, brutes, and barbarians when local police seem unable to stop them. Might the Second Amendment matter almost as much as the First? I think the answer is yes. And just like the First, the Second is practical, newly relevant, and far wiser than the watered-down alternatives."

Arkansas Murder Charge Dropped: "A 2006 first-degree murder charge against a former Ozark woman has been dropped, according to Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons. An order dismissing charges against Audrea Waldo, 24, was signed July 26 by Circuit Court Judge James Kennedy. Waldo was accused of shooting her father, Joel Waldo, 48, on Jan. 2, 2006, at the family’s home at 504 W. Main St. in Ozark. A probable cause affidavit filed in the case said Waldo shot at her father eight times with a .45-caliber pistol. Waldo told police she was threatened by her father and feared he would do something to her and her grandmother. Gibbons said autopsy results show the shooting victim had a large amount of methamphetamine in his system, giving credence to Audrea Waldo’s claims and justifying her use of deadly force." [All 8 bullets were self-defense??]

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Florida Slaying Possibly Self Defense: "A 26-year-old man died Sunday night after he was shot inside a Mandarin convenience store and homicide detectives are trying to determine if the shooting was in self defense. Police responding to a report of a gunshot at the BP gas station at the corner of Old St. Augustine and Losco roads about 9:45 p.m. found Isaiah Williams lying on the ground. He transported to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he died a shot time later. The store clerk told Channel 4's John Dunlap that the shooting followed a confrontation that began with Williams cursing a man in line behind them. "He went out and he came back with a friend," BP manager Reddy Kandala said. "That time, there was a fight." Kandala said the shooter, whose name was not released by police, told Williams and his friends he had a gun. Kandala said Williams left the store again, but when he entered for a third time, he was shot. The gunman is cooperating with police and the entire incident was recorded by surveillance cameras. Police and the state attorneys office will review the evidence and witness statements to decide if the shooting was in self defense or if the gunman should be charged with a crime."

California man holds fleeing burglary suspect at gunpoint: "A man held a 17-year-old suspected burglar at gunpoint Friday morning while his wife called 911, police said. The incident began when two juveniles tried to break into a home in the 1300 block of Dixon Court around 3 a.m. Friday, said Tracy city spokesman Matt Robinson. The home’s burglar alarm, however, scared the teens off. They ran down the street and hopped a fence into the backyard of a home in the 1200 block of Berg Road. The juveniles didn’t get very far when a resident at that home stepped into his backyard and trained a shotgun on them. One suspect fled back over the fence. The other remained there until police came, Robinson said. Police arrested a 17-year-old boy from Tracy and turned him over to his parents. The case will be sent to juvenile prosecutors for investigation and possible charges. Police are still searching for the other suspect, Robinson said. “We do commend the homeowner for holding onto the subject and protecting his property, but we do want to warn residents it can be very dangerous and they have to be very careful,” Robinson said".

Seattle murderer shot by a bystander: "A Seattle mother of four was fatally stabbed early today despite a court protection order against her knife-wielding ex-husband. The 33-year-old victim was stabbed nearly two dozen times while attending a birthday party about 1 a.m. at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in the 9100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. The 39-year-old assailant burst into the hall, grabbed the victim and slashed her with a large knife, witnesses told police. The weapon was recovered at the scene. A 32-year-old Kent man who was at the party pulled a hand gun and shot the suspect who later died at Harborview Medial Center. Police spokeswoman Renee Witt said the party guest had a concealed-weapons permit. She said he likely won't face charges since he acted to prevent further harm. Another partygoer who tried to save the victim suffered minor cuts. He drove himself to Virginia Mason Medical Center and was later released. Court records also show that the attacker had a previous record of violence including multiple counts of assault in April this year.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Pennsylvania Inquest: "The date has been set for the coroner's inquest to a deadly shooting in Somerset County. According to the Somerset Daily American, the inquest will take place this Wednesday and Thursday on the death of Perry Zimmerman. The goal of the inquest is to see whether Zimmerman's death was justifiable homicide. Matthew Eperjesi shot and killed Zimmerman after he said he warned Zimmerman and others not to come into his apartment or else he would shoot. Charges against Eperjesi were previously withdrawn due to self-defense."

Texas homeowner kills intruder: "After realizing that his home had an intruder, a homeowner chased down a 19-year-old man and shot him to death on the Northwest Side early Saturday, according to a police report. Raymond Lemes, 48, said he was asleep when he heard a scream. Lemes grabbed his gun and realized an intruder, later identified as Tracy Glass, was in his home in the 9800 block of Autumn Star. Glass took off and Lemes chased him down the street. When he caught up to the suspect, Lemes said Glass took a swing at him so he shot the man. When police arrived at 2:35 a.m., they found Glass facedown, dead with gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and arm. The homeowner had a license for his .40 caliber Glock pistol, a police report said. He told police Glass probably had gained access to his home through a sliding door that had been broken for some time."

Sunday, August 05, 2007

eBay now totally anti-gun

Latest eBay policy below. It would be just as logical for them to ban Koreans. It might be educational for the writer if he were to suffer a home invasion. But no doubt he lives on a closed estate guarded by guys with guns. If he really thinks that no-one needs a gun for safety, perhaps he could take up residence in such conveniently located places as the Bronx or South Central L.A.

Hello everyone.In mid-August, we will be updating our Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions around gun-related items. Once these changes take effect, we will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun. This includes items like bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. Please read the Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy for more details on our current policy.

As you may know, eBay does not allow the listing of any items which are regulated by individual states or the federal government; however, there are still a large number of firearm-related parts that are legal and are widely available in retail stores. These items have also historically been allowed on eBay.

After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, we felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do. After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team - along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. - have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require.

This new update continues to encourage safety among our community members and brings our policies in the U.S. and Canada in closer alignment with our existing policies in other markets around the globe.

Daniel Polsby, the dean of the George Mason University School of Law, has been awarded the St. Gabriel Possenti Society's Medallion of Honor for his commitment to society principles ƒ_" which aren't what one might expect, liturgically speaking.

"His dedication to legal support for the right of law-abiding citizens to obtain and use handguns and other firearms for defense of human life places him squarely in the forefront of individuals eligible for this distinction," society chairman John Snyder says. "As dean, he has maintained and developed on faculty the most distinguished and high-powered group of Second Amendment legal scholars in the country."

Mr. Polsby recently joined with a number of other legal scholars in a Brandeis Brief* calling for the dismissal of the District's gun-ban statute as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. In Parker v. District of Columbia, an appellate court agreed that the D.C. law prohibiting handgun possession is unconstitutional.

As for the holy saint, he was a 19th-century sharpshooting Catholic seminarian who resorted to a handgun to rescue Italian villagers from a gang of terrorizing renegade soldiers.

(For non-lawyers: A "Brandeis brief" (named for its originator, Louis Dembitz Brandeis, later Associate Justice of the Supreme Court) is one that relies heavily on sociological or other statistics -- that is, data analysis instead of legal analysis)

California couple booked for defending girl: "Neighbors shot and killed a man violating a restraining order yesterday after his ex-girlfriend found him inside her University City apartment, police said. William and Nicole Porter, both 22, were each booked on one count of murder, San Diego police Capt. Mary Cornicelli said yesterday. The county Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Larry Kermit King, 47. Investigators said they believe the husband and wife each shot King. The woman found King sleeping inside her apartment - at the Archstone University Towne Centre Apartments on Avenida Navidad near Genesee Avenue - about 1 a.m. when she returned home from work, Cornicelli said. The woman woke him up, and the two argued, Cornicelli said. The woman left her first-floor unit and went to the Porters' upstairs apartment to get help. Minutes later, King pounded on the Porters' door. "He was yelling . . . 'Come on out. I'm going to kill you,' " Cornicelli said. King left after no one answered. Cornicelli said William and Nicole Porter then armed themselves with handguns. "Then Mr. Porter, obviously feeling threatened for himself, his wife and the other woman, decides to go outside and attempt to hold the suspect for police," Cornicelli said. Nicole Porter stayed on her balcony. The two men argued and then fought in a grassy area just outside the apartment. King was shot. "All I can tell you is the deceased did not show or display any weapons," Cornicelli said. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate King, who stumbled into the woman's apartment after being shot. Police have two days to present the case to prosecutors, who will decide whether to charge or release the Porters."

Colorado: Another dangerous loony stopped: "State Trooper Jay Hemphill hustled the tuxedo-clad man from the governor's office as the man claimed to be the emperor and vowed to save the "unborn children" from the governor's office. Hemphill grabbed a pen and a notepad to show Aaron Snyder he was listening to his concerns. Minutes later, Snyder opened his tuxedo jacket to reveal a large gun in his right pants pocket, Hemphill told investigators. "No police are going to stop me," he said. Hemphill dropped the pen and pad. He drew his gun. He issued a loud command. "Stop or I'll kill you." Snyder did not stop, Hemphill told the investigators. He was about four feet away. The officer fired four shots. Snyder "fell backward to the marble floor of the Capitol just to the right of the door to the governor's office," according to the report of the shooting, issued Friday. "He was dead at the scene." Hemphill, a 12-year patrol veteran who had never fired his weapon in the line of duty, was asked whether he had thought he was in danger. "I believe he could have killed me and killed the governor," Hemphill said. The investigative report into the July 16 shooting, outlined in a 71-page letter released by Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, concluded that Hemphill was justified in using deadly force against Snyder, 32. The report included documents that showed the extent of Snyder's mental illness."

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Background

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” -- Thomas Jefferson

Syndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesn’t trust you. That’s an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."

The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)

Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.

Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.

The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? Did you recognize him in the picture above? If not you may need to know more about him. It's all here (Backups here and here)

“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” -- Robert A. Heinlein

After all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat